Talking Helps
by sdbubbles
Summary: Sort of a different take on 'Lost and Found,' where Gibbs talks with Carson and then with Jenny. Kind of hard to explain...


**A/N: Hope this makes some sense. It's kinda late (0030) and I can't sleep again, so here ya go. My gift of boredom to you guys...**

**Sarah x**

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><p>"Come meet your new house guest," Gibbs smirked. He couldn't believe she'd fallen for that. He knew how uncomfortable she felt when dealing with children. Even as an agent she had found that difficult<p>

"Guarantee he's better than the last," Jenny sniped back. She looked down at the 'custody transfer,' only to find it was not that at all. "Jethro, this is a case file, not a custody transfer," she informed him with a confused look at his back.

"Must've picked up the wrong file," he suggested. Wait a second, he thought. What did she just say?

"Go figure," she smiled, shaking her head. The innocent act. Like she'd never seen _that_ one before. She knew that he knew what he'd picked up; she wasn't born yesterday.

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><p>Carson looked to make sure that Jenny wasn't listening to his conversation with Gibbs. It seemed as though she had went to the bathroom or something. "You love her," the young boy accused the team leader.<p>

Gibbs gazed at Carson in disbelief. The boy had barely seen them together, and still he saw it. "You been talking to DiNozzo?" Gibbs teased, hoping the kid would drop it. He really didn't want to discuss it.

"Nope," Carson replied. "I saw the way you looked at her. I might be a kid, Agent Gibbs, but I'm not an idiot. She's alone. Really alone. She lives in a huge house on her own, with no husband or kids. She doesn't have a family, and it isn't fair. She's so nice," he finished.

"I know, kid," Gibbs agreed. "Jenny is possibly the most good-hearted woman I've met. But she's also complicated," Gibbs tried to explain.

"You know, I reckon Ziva's right about that word," Carson observed. "People use it when they don't want to deal with something."

"It's not like that, Carson," he responded as he looked over his shoulder to make sure Jenny hadn't reappeared. "I don't want to mess her head up anymore than it already is. You don't know half of what's happened in the past eighteen months. She's still not like she was before, and she is messed up."

"Then don't mess with her," Carson advised. "Mean what you say and say what you mean. That's what my dad always says."

"Sounds like a smart guy," Gibbs sighed. They heard footsteps coming to the room and immediately changed the subject. They did _not_ want to be caught talking about Jenny. That wouldn't be funny in the slightest.

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><p>Jenny and Jethro were in Jenny's hallway just after putting Carson to bed. She was secretly glad that Gibbs was there to help because she had no idea what she was meant to do. Gibbs' head suddenly snapped up. "What did you mean by 'better than the last,' Jen?" he asked.<p>

She stared at him for a second before replying, "At least Carson knows how to use a bin," with a small chuckle. She remembered the times she had hit Gibbs over the head with a cushion when he'd thrown his rubbish on the coffee table.

"So that was aimed at me?" Gibbs clarified. Did that mean that he was the last person to stay at her home overnight? That was over eight years ago, for crying out loud. She had no excuse for the last three of those eight, either, since she was based in D.C.

"No, do you think, Jethro? You were the one leaving empty packets and dirty plates and cups everywhere in the house," she joked. Her smile faltered when she saw the look on Jethro's face. He was appalled. "What's wrong, Jethro?"

"So that means I was the last person to stay here for any real amount of time," he stated. She nodded her head, failing to see why he was so troubled. "Nobody has stayed here with you in eight years?" he checked, not believing it. He never nosed around her life, but he always assumed that Jenny wasn't alone all the time.

"Not since that week we spent here together," Jenny confessed. "What's the big deal? I'm a big girl. I can cope on my own, Gibbs," she told him a little defensively. Was he implying that she was incapable of living alone?

"Never said you couldn't. Jen," Gibbs said hastily, noting that he'd offended her. "Do you know what Carson said to me earlier?"

"What?" Jenny asked, her eyes narrowing. She thought they'd looked suspicious when she returned from the study.

"He can tell that you're alone," Gibbs said, trying to avoid the part about his feelings for the time being. "He thinks it's not fair that you don't have a family."

"Everyone is alone," she asserted. "You know what? It doesn't matter that I haven't had a real relationship in eight years. I am happy."

"No, you're not," Gibbs contradicted her with a small sad smile. "You smile and laugh, but you're not happy. Not really."

"And?" she demanded, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Why do you care? I hurt you and I abandoned you, yet you still feel the need to protect me! Why?"

There were tears in her eyes, partly because she was so annoyed, but she was actually upset. She was visibly upset about Gibbs for the first time in years. She blinked and the salt water spilled onto her cheeks. Gibbs pulled her close so that her head rested on his chest. She tried to get away from him by hitting his chest but he just held on tighter to her. He kissed her hair. Carson was right. He needed to deal with this because it was causing both of them pain and neither one would admit to it.

"I care because I love you, Jen," Jethro whispered into her hair. "What you did is not who you are. We all screw up. We just have to live with that fact."

Jenny forced herself away from his body and looked up at Gibbs' face. "You know, once upon a time, I would have asked you to stay and I wouldn't have taken no for an answer," she offered. "I love you," she added almost silently, hoping that he heard her.

"If you're sure about this, Jen, then I'll stay here tonight," accepted Gibbs with a tiny smile.

Carson watched from the corner of the staircase as Gibbs held Jenny in his strong arms. He was glad he'd sneaked out of bed to see this. He caught Jethro's eye and winked at him. "Bed," Gibbs mouthed to him as he winked back at the child. It seemed that the kid had been the only one who saw this coming.

As Carson drifted off to sleep, he thought about how lucky it was that Jenny had slipped up earlier. She'd obviously said something to worry Gibbs. And his little talk with the agent appeared to have helped. Mission accomplished.

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><p><strong>Hope this is OK!<strong>

**Please review!**

**Sarah x**


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